This recipe is one that was shared by one of the moms involved in the Babies Eat Free Facebook group. While the main focus of the group is to create a community of support and advice for new moms who are nursing their babies, other new mom topics often arise in conversations. This recipe idea came up in response to a request for healthful and easy meal ideas, something we can all benefit from whether we are new parents, busy with work, or both!
It took me less than five minutes to assemble the ingredients in my crock pot, and the end product is quite tasty and versatile in terms of allowing for a variety of “leftovers” meals.
The recipe is as follows: Place chicken breasts into crock pot (I used five), rinse and drain beans (I used one can of black beans and one can of kidney beans) and pour over chicken. Pour one 16 oz bag of frozen corn over the beans. Pour one jar of salsa over the entire contents. Cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Place a block of cream cheese (I used low fat cream cheese) in the crock pot during the last half hour of cooking. Serve over rice, or with a side salad and bread, or use as a burrito filling. This dish could also be reheated and served over a salad with a little cheese on top, and a side tortilla chips. We have had two meals already, and there is enough left in the refrigerator for two more meals. I also froze enough for a couple of easy meals at some time in the near future when we either don’t have time to cook or in case the weather is hot and we do not want to cook.
Some variations that might be nice (though they would involve slightly more prep time): Top with fresh cilantro and/or chopped green onions, serve with additional salsa, guacamole, sour cream, jalapeno rings… Include more beans and corn, and perhaps a chopped onion and/or chopped green pepper in the crock pot mixture. For the record, I haven’t done any of these–this was a meal prepared during a sacred moment upon arriving home with a sleeping baby in the car seat. He stayed asleep in his car seat in the house long enough for me to throw the ingredients together in my crock pot, and he woke just in time for me to throw the crock in the fridge so it would be ready to start the following morning…
I found this recipe in the May/June edition of Eating Well magazine. It was easy to make, and had a nice combination of flavors. Somehow I forgot to add the pecans, which would have added a nice crunch to the salad, something I felt it was missing. Next time I plan to use Pineland Farms smoked cheddar in this salad.
